Combination extensible and foldable vent and spout for containers



Filed Aug. 1, 1956 COMBINATION EXTENS IBLE AND FOLDAB LE VENT AND SPOUT FOR CONTAINERS Aug. 4; 1959 .1 E BORAH 2,393,014

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I FIG'.2' FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

JOHN E. BORAH BY 727. a M/ ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1959 Filed Aug. 1, 1956 J. E. BORAH COMBINATION EXTENSIBLE AND FOLDABLE VENT AND SPOUT FOR CONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JOH N E B O R AH By 7 7. Q-M

ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1959 J. E. BQRAH 2,898,014

COMBINATION EXTENSIBLE AND F OLDABLE VENT AND SPOUT FOR CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 1, 1 956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR- JOHN E. BORAH BY 7714M,

ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1959 Filed Aug; 1, 1956 J. E. BORAH COMBINATION EXTENSIBLE AND FOLDABLE VENT AND SPOUT FOR CONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. l4 JOHN E. BOR'AH ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice COMBINATION EXTENSIBLE AND FOLDABLE The present invention relates to spouts for containers.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a container spout 'which is particularly useful for pouring liquid in hard to reach places, such as under the fender neck of the gasoline tank of an automobile and in gasoline tanks of outboard motors, and which is adapted to snap on and oif the container and to fold into the pour opening of the container when not in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination of an extensible and foldable long neck spout of the aforesaid type having a built-in air vent to give a substantially even or uniform flow of liquid through the spout.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a one piece spout which is many times longer than the width of the pour opening of the container and which is sufficiently yieldable to fold into said pour opening and yet is sufficiently rigid to maintain its shape when the liquid of the container is being poured therethrough.

A further object of the invention is to provide a foldable container spout having a large and a small fluid opening either of which can be used for pouring liquid from the container and the small one of which serves as an air vent when the large one is being used to pour liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a liquid pouring spout having a long tapered neck and a long foldable vent, both of which can be compressed and folded simultaneously into the container pour opening.

Another object is to provide a foldable container spout having an integral air vent which will operate without interference to or from the flow of liquid through the spout.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of my long neck foldable spout;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the spout shown in Figure 1, showing the spout in its fully extended position;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the spout shown in the preceding figures, showing the spout in the first stage of being folded into a container;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the spout shown in the preceding figures, showing the spout in its fully folded position;

Figure 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of another embodiment of my long neck spout, showing it in its fully extended position;

Figure 6 is a vertical cross sectional view of a modified form of my spout, showing it in its extended position;

Figure 7 is an elevational view of a container on which the present long neck spout is mounted, showing the advantages of my spout in pouring liquid into difficult to reach places;

Figure 8 is an elevational view of the container on which the spout is mounted, showing another advantage of the spout in pouring liquid into the small opening of an oil lubricating cup or the like;

Figure 9 is a vertical cross sectional view of a further modified form of my spout, showing it in its extended position;

Figure 10 is a topplan view of the spout shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a cross sectional view of the spout shown in Figures 9 and 10 taken on line 1111 of Figure 10, showing the spout in its fully folded position;

Figure 12 is a vertical cross sectional view of a long neck foldable spout without an air vent;

Figure 13 is a cross sectional view of the spout shown in Figure 12, taken on line 13-13; and

Figure 14 is a cross sectional view of the spout shown in Figures 1 through 4, taken on line 14--14 of Figure 2.

The spout shown in Figures 1 through 4 and 14 includes a relatively thick annular base formation 12 having an annular groove 14 adapted to fit over an internal bead or annular projection on the neck of a container, the side walls of the groove gripping the bead and forming an effective seal to prevent leakage between the spout and container neck. The base is made of rubber or other flexible material and can be distorted to insert and remove it from the container neck 15, but it is suificiently stiif to prevent it from being unintentionally displaced during use. A frusto-conical portion 16 is joined integrally at its base to the upper side of formation 12 and is joined integrally at its top with a long neck 18 which is tapered gradually outwardly toward its free end. Both portion 16 and neck 18 are made of the same flexible material as base 12 and can readily be folded into the positions shown in Figures 3 and 4. A bead 20 is preferably provided around the free end of the neck to give said neck sufiicient rigidity that it retains its cylindrical shape in both the collapsed and extended positions of the spout, thus providing a good pour lip while the spout is being used and a substantial section of material for the user to grip in folding and extending the spout.

In order to cause the spout to fold in an orderly and predetermined manner and to maintain its shape throughout its length while being used, a plurality of longitudinal ribs 22, preferably four, are formed in the side walls of the spout starting in the conical portion 16 and extending to a point adjacent the free end of neck 18. On the underside of the ribs and corresponding thereto are grooves 24 which perform a definite and an important function during the folding of the spout, as will be explained in detail hereinafter.

In a conventional spout or pour opening of a container the air which must replace the liquid being poured therefrom must flow inwardly through the spout or opening at frequent intervals thus interrupting the flow of liquid and causing it to gurgle from the container. In order to prevent this gurgling flow, my spouts are preferably provided with a vent passage or tube 30, shown in Figures 1 through 4 as being formed integrally with neck 18 and extending through conical portion 16 to a point substantially below the bottom of base 12. This vent passage preferably extends at least substantially to the free end of the neck and in some embodiments may extend beyond the end, since in pouring liquid from the container an initial surge usually occurs which causes the liquid to momentarily flow simultaneously through both neck 18 and vent 30. It is thus seen that if the outlet end of the vent were not in the proximity of the outlet end of the neck some spilling of the liquid might occur before the air had totally replaced the liquid in the vent. After the initial surge of liquid, the air replaces'the liquid in the vent and flows substantially uniformly into the container eliminating the gurgling which.

would otherwise normally occur in the main stream of Patented Aug. 4, 1959' liquid through neck 18. By completely separating the vent passages and maintaining their independence throughout as passages, the flow of liquid through the large passage does not interfere with flow of air into and through the vent passage. 7

When the spout is to be folded from the extended position shown in Figure 2 to the completely folded position shown in Figure 4, neck 18 is pushed downwardly causing the conical portion 16 to turn inwardly to its fullest extent as shown in Figure 3. The rest of the folding of the spout must take place in the neck. This is accomplished by continued pressure downwardly on the.

neck which causes grooves 24 to spread sufliciently to permit the side walls of the neck to fold progressively upon themselves until they reach the position shown in Figure 4. The action of the grooves 24 in spreading to permit the progressive folding of the neck is best illustrated at numeral 34 in Figures 3 and 4. The primary function of ribs 22 in addition to providing the material in which the grooves are formed is to give suflicient longitudinal rigidity to the neck to prevent it from collapsing or bending sidewise when the pressure is applied at the top instead of folding downwardly in an orderly manner through the annular base as shown in Figure 4.

The construction of the vent passage 30 shown in the embodiment just described normally does not interfere with the folding characteristics of the spout; however, the folding can be facilitated by providing a slight indentation 40 as shown in Figure 6. As seen in Figure 4 when the spout is in its fully folded position vent passage 30 is completely closed by collapsing of the side walls throughout most of the folded neck section 18. If the spout is assembled on the container before shipment to the ultimate user, it can be closed by a cap 42 formed integrally with the upper end of neck 18 by a thin film of material which will readily tear when the cap is lifted by the user gripping and lifting tab 44 on the cap. When the spout is in its fully folded position the conventional screw or crown cap 46 can be placed on the neck of the container in the manner fully illustrated in my cd pending applications Serial Nos. 520,495, filed July 7, 1955, now Patent No. 2,804,242, dated August 27, 1957, and 542,867, filed October 26, 1955. In the embodiments disclosed herein as in the spouts disclosed in the previously filed applications either the top side of the spout base or the lower end of the conical portion folded downwardly over the top side of the base forms a sealing gasket for the container cap when it is tightened onto the container neck. The spout is folded into the container opening and completely enclosed by the cap and does not interfere with either the capping or uncapping operation of the container.

When the contents of the container are to be used the container cap is removed and the spout pulled upwardly from the container opening until it is fully extended. If only a small amount of liquid is desired or if the receiving receptacle, such as lubricating cup 50 in Figure 8, is provided with only a small opening, cap 42 is left in place sealing neck 18 and the vent passage 30 is used as the sole pour passage. An extension 52 of the vent passage, such as shown in Figures and 6, is particularly advantageous when the liquid is to be poured through a small receiving opening as is illustrated in Figure 8. The advantage of the long neck 18 is clearly seen from the illustration in Figure 7 wherein the liquid is being poured from a container 54 into a gasoline tank neck 56 under the fender 58 of an automobile. In this latter use cap 42 is torn from the neck 18 and vent passage 30 operates to admit air into the container as the liquid flows therefrom into the neck of the tank, thus providing a uniform liquid flow.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the vent passage 30 on the outside of neck 18 has been eliminated and a preformed tube 60 substituted therefor. After the spout has been fully fabricated, a piece of flexible rubber or plastic tube is attached to the internal wall of neck 18 by inserting the upper end of the tube through a short passage 62 formed in the wall of the upper end of the neck. The tube preferably extends downwardly to a point substantially below the bottom edge of base 12 and may if desired extend substantially above the top end of neck 18, as shown in Figure 5, to provide a small pouring stem 52 when the spout is being used in the manner shown in Figure 8. The extension does not interfere with the use of the passage strictly as an air vent. A somewhat better venting action is obtained by curving the lower end of tube 60 in the direction such that it will be pointing upwardly during the pouring of liquid through the main passage of the neck.

A somewhat different type of base is used with the embodiment shown in Figure 5. Here the lower end of the conical portion 16 is joined onto base 12 along its internal surface; hence when the spout is folded into the container the upper edge of the base forms the sealing gasket for the container cap rather than the lower edge of conical portion 16 as in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 4.

The modification shown in Figure 6 is substantially the same as that shown in Figures 1 through 4 with the exception that a relatively short neck 66 is used in place of the long neck 18. Like numerals are used to refer to like parts. In this embodiment ribs 22 and grooves 24 are not necessary for satisfactory folding of the spout into the container opening or neck but easy folding is facilitated by the inclusion of the ribs and grooves.

A further modified form of my venting spout is shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11. The base and conical portion of the spout are substantially the same as those used in the embodiments previously described herein; however, instead of using a foldable neck portion, a thick substantially rigid neck portion 70 is used. Since the neck portion cannot fold upon itself the entire folding during the collapsing step is confined to conical portion 16; hence the size of the conical portion determines the maximum length of neck which can be used and still have a spout which will fold completely into the container opening. It is thus seen that for conventional openings in standard containers the length of the neck must necessarily be relatively short. The modification, however, illustrates a further arrangement for the air vent and liquid passages, 74 and 76, respectively, the two passages being located in the normal circumferential area of the round neck. A tube 78 is inserted in the lower end of passage 74 and extends downwardly substantially below the lower end of the base and may if desired be extended above the upper end of neck 70.

A long neck foldable spout without an air vent is shown in Figures 12 and 13. Ribs 22 and grooves 24 in conical portion 16 and neck 18 perform the same function during folding of the spout as that described with reference to Figures 1 through 4. In this embodiment as in the previous embodiments the side walls of the neck may be increased in thickness toward the top or free end thereof and if preferred, bead 20 may be omitted.

While a number of modifications of my invention have been illustrated herein various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, various types of annular bases for engaging the container neck or pour opening, such as those shown in my previously mentioned prior applications, can be substituted for those shown shown herein.

I claim:

1. A one piece foldable spout for a container having a pour opening with an internal annular projection comprising an annular base means of flexible material having an external annular groove therein for engaging the annular projection on said container, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to said section around said opening and being longer than the diameter of said opening in said container, a plurality of longitudinal ribs on the external surface of said neck, corresponding longitudinal grooves on the internal surface of said neck, said ribsand grooves extending onto the respective surfaces of said conical section, a means integral with said neck forming a passage generally parallel to and external of said first mentioned passage and extending beyond the free end of said neck and below said base, and a cap for closing said first mentioned passage.

2. A one piece foldable spout for a container having a pour opening, comprising an annular base means of flexible material for engaging the container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to the conical section at said opening and being longer than the diameter of opening in said container, a plurality of spaced longitudinal ribs on the external surface of said neck extending from said conical section, corresponding longitudinal groove on the internal surface of said neck, and a means forming a passage generally parallel to and external of said first mentioned passage and extending below said base.

3. A one piece foldable spout for a container having a pour opening with an internal annular projection, comprising an annular base means of flexible material having an external annular groove therein for engaging the annular projection on said container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to said section around said opening and being longer than the diameter of opening in said container, a plurality of longitudinal ribs on the external surface of said neck extending from said conical section, and corresponding longitudinal grooves on the internal surface of said neck.

4. A foldable spout for a container having a pour opening, comprising an annular base means adapted to engage the container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to saidsection around said opening, a plurality of longitudinal ribs on the external surface of said neck extending from said conical section, and corresponding longitudinal grooves on the internal surface of said neck.

5. A one piece foldable spout for a container having a pour opening with an internal annular projection, comprising an annular base means of flexible material having an external annular groove therein for engaging the annular projection on said container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to the small end of said section around said opening and foldable inwardly upon itself, and means of flexible material forming a passage having collapsible walls generally parallel to and external of said first mentioned passage and passing through said conical section.

6. A one piece foldable spout for a container having a pour opening, comprising an annular base means of flexible material for engaging the container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to said opening in said section and foldable inwardly upon itself, and a flexible foldable means cooperating with said neck and forming a passage having collapsible walls generally paralleling said first mentioned passage and extending through and foldable with said conical section.

7. A foldable spout for a container having a pour opening, comprising an annular base means of flexible material for engaging the container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to said section around said opening, a plurality of longitudinal ribs on the external surface of said neck extending from said conical section, corresponding longitudinal grooves on the internal surface of said neck, and a tube extending through and beyond the free end of said passage and being connected to said neck at a point nearer the free end than the attached end.

8. A foldable spout for a container having a pour opening, comprising an annular base means adapted to engage the container around said opening, a hollow conical section of flexible material joined at its large end to said annular base means and having an opening at its small end, a neck with a longitudinal passage therethrough attached to the conical section around said opening, and a plurality of spaced longitudinal grooves on the internal surface of said neck extending longitudinally therein from said conical section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,487,824 Vincent Mar. 25, 1924 2,543,909 Hatheway Mar. 6, 1951 2,558,195 Pearl -June 26, 1951 2,561,596 Rieke July 24, 1951 2,778,545 Sapia Jan. 22, 1957 2,804,242 Borah Aug. 27, 1957 

